Across the state, people are focusing on transportation initiatives to help move Michigan toward a vibrant, connected future.

To accelerate that conversation, Transportation for Michigan will host the Michigan Transportation Odyssey, in which participants set off on a three-day voyage from Detroit Metro Airport, to Kalamazoo, to Grand Rapids and to Traverse City using only Michigan’s transit systems and statewide passenger train service. The Transportation Odyssey gets under way on Wednesday, March 21, and will arrive in Grand Rapids on March 22.

Join advocates from around the region and Mayor George Heartwell as we welcome the Michigan Transportation Odyssey to Grand Rapids at our March speaker series event at The Rapid's Central Station downtown.

State Rep. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage, on Monday hosted a town hall meeting to discuss legislation and options for repairing Michigan’s roads.

"We are always working to find a balance between our state’s priorities and the limited funds we have to work with," O’Brien said. "Monday’s town hall meeting was a great opportunity to hear some different options we have for funding road repairs and I was very happy with the turnout we had."

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has posted a video news release to its YouTube channel on www.youtube.com/michigandot. The video captures the excitement of a special demonstration today (Feb. 15) of 110 mph Amtrak service between Porter, Ind., and Kalamazoo, Mich. Federal, state and local officials participated in today's event.

Amtrak and MDOT recently received federal approval to increase maximum speeds of Amtrak trains in western Michigan and northern Indiana to 110 mph following the successful installation and testing of a positive train control safety system on Amtrak-owned track between Kalamazoo and Porter. Amtrak's popular Wolverine and Blue Water train passengers will benefit from this improvement in service.

Amtrak trains will reach 110 mph starting Feb. 15 between Kalamazoo and Porter, Ind., the Michigan Department of Transportation and Amtrak said today.

That’s 15 mph faster than trains are allowed to travel now on that stretch of tracks, MDOT and the rail carrier said in a joint news release. The higher speeds are expected to shave 10 minutes off the trip between Detroit or Port Huron and Chicago on Amtrak’s Wolverine and Blue Water trains, which pass through Battle Creek.

“This is the first expansion of regional high speed rail outside the Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor,” Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman said in the news release. “With our partners in Michigan, we will extend this 110 mph service from Kalamazoo to the state’s central and eastern regions...